Teledermatology in Medical and Continuing Education

Abstract

Teledermatology improves access to dermatologic care and has the potential to lower health care costs. Although teledermatology use is increasing in practice, a minority of dermatology programs incorporate teledermatology into resident training. This review summarizes the current state of teledermatology education for both dermatologists and non-dermatologists. Less than half of dermatology residency programs include teledermatology in their curriculum. Teledermatology offers educational opportunities for dermatology and non-dermatology trainees and practitioners through both remote and in-person supervision. It may also serve as an objective core competency metric as concordance for diagnosis and management can be easily measured as a marker of trainee medical knowledge. Teledermatology can be used as an educational metric for measuring core competencies of dermatology residents. Dermatology residencies should integrate teledermatology education into their curriculum so that trainees are comfortable incorporating it into their future practice. Teledermatology has also been shown to improve dermatology knowledge among referring primary providers and residents. Further studies are needed to identify the perceived gaps in education regarding teledermatology and its ability to facilitate dermatology learning.